The Archaeology of Hittite Imperialism and Ceramic Production in Late Bronze Age IIA Tarsus-Gözlükule, Turkey

Summary

The Late Bronze IIA (LB IIA) period signaled a change in the material culture of Tarsus-Gözlükule, an urban center in Cilicia, southern Turkey. Written sources and archaeological evidence indicate that the LB IIA coincided with the expansion of the Hittite Empire into the region. Previous scholarship has understood the changes in the archaeological record, particularly the introduction of a new type of pottery called Monochrome Ware (MW), as the result of imperial policies intended to integrate Cilicia into the empire. Such approaches assign sole agency of change to the Hittite imperial administration. This dissertation proposes a new model for the proliferation of MW, one that takes into consideration the role of the indigenous population. The evidence derived from formal and geochemical analyses of the LB IIA pottery argues that actors, both from the imperial administration and the province, actively used pottery to create and, to a lesser extent, challenge the imperial relationship, and it was through this dialectic process that MW spread throughout Cilicia. This case study of LB IIA pottery from a province of the Hittite Empire illustrates the complex role played by material culture in empire.

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: -1425 to -1200

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Bryn Mawr College

File Information